As the cryptocurrency craze continues to ravage supply of graphics cards for gamers, some retailers are stepping in to help the situation. Polygon reports that while Micro Center has raised GPU prices to parity with Amazon and Newegg, the store is willing to give discounts on graphics cards if you're buying one for use in a gaming system.
We called three different Micro Center stores across the country and they all said the same thing. First, you must purchase the graphics card along with several other core components: CPU, motherboard, RAM, and power supply. Second, you must have an approval from an in-store manager.
The three stores we spoke to told us that while there are different discounts for different cards, customers can expect either "MSRP or close to MSRP" for graphics cards. We're waiting on a call back from an actual store manager to ask for specific discounts but our guess is that approval is required because discounts will vary—maybe even based on the total purchase price of your configured system. If you're buying just a graphics card however, you're going to have to pay the hiked prices.
One representative told us that it might be possible to configure a gaming system through Micro Center's online store and get the discount approved there, but you'd have to pay for it first since it's online, and then call in and have a partial refund given.
Users in this Reddit thread are discussing the discounts they've been able to secure, with some claiming they received a discount without buying a full rig.
Given that pretty much all retail channels are selling graphics cards for huge price hikes, it's nice to see some retailers implement blocks so that gamers can still buy what they need.
Both Amazon and Newegg are selling graphics cards for well above MSRP, but right now it looks like Best Buy is still selling cards at either MSRP or close to MSRP. Some cards show out of stock but the ones that are in stock are priced well below Amazon and Newegg.
